Low Carb/Alzheimers

"xyz" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Is there any research, anecdotally or otherwise, that says
that a low carbohydrate diet positively influences
Alzheimer's disease?

Anecdotes are not data.

It's probably more protective to eat more vegetables and
fruits rather than more fats and proteins, although you need
enough of both EFAs and proteins. It isn't clear that excess
(beyond your needs) fat and protein provide protection
(aside from increased absorption of fat soluble
micronutrients) although if unrefined carbohydrate intake is
high, there might be greater protection provided that the
sources were very high in protective vitamins, minerals,
antioxidants and phytochemicals -- fruits and vegetables.

Also, it's probably good insurance to maintain adequate EFA
status, probably a good idea to limit saturated fats, trans
fats, and omega6 fats (although you need at least
4.5 g of omega6/day), and you need at least 2.2 g of
ALA per day.

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Neuroepidemiology. 1993;12(1):28-36.

The incidence of dementia and intake of animal products:
preliminary findings from the Adventist Health Study.

Giem P, Beeson WL, Fraser GE.

Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Loma
Linda University, CA 92350.

We investigated the relationship between animal product
consumption and evidence of dementia in two cohort
substudies. The first enrolled 272 California

and 2 'heavy' meat eaters in each of 68 quartets). This
design ensured a wide range of dietary exposure. The second
included 2,984 unmatched subjects who resided within the
Loma Linda, California area. All subjects were enrolled in
the Adventist Health Study.

The matched subjects who ate meat (including poultry and
fish) were more than twice as likely to become demented as
their vegetarian counterparts (relative risk 2.18, p =
0.065) and the discrepancy was further widened (relative
risk 2.99, p = 0.048) when past meat consumption was taken
into account.

There was no significant difference in the incidence
of dementia in the vegetarian versus meat-eating
unmatched subjects.

There was no obvious explanation for the difference between
the two substudies, although the power of the unmatched sub-
study to detect an effect of 'heavy' meat consumption was
unexpectedly limited.

There was a trend towards delayed onset of dementia in
vegetarians in both substudies.

PMID: 8327020 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

(xyz) said:

Is there any research, anecdotally or otherwise, that says
that a low carbohydrate diet positively influences
Alzheimer's disease?

On June 7th, 'All Things Considered' had Steve McConnell of
the Alzheimer's Association on, and he remarked that the
there were similarities between the plaque associated with
Alzheimer's and aterialsclerosis so that a diet that was
good for choletesteral might be good for Alzheimer's. Or
words to that effect.

[email hidden] (xyz) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Is there any research, anecdotally or otherwise, that says
that a low carbohydrate diet positively influences
Alzheimer's disease?

I posted this some time ago.

sciencedaily.com990728073646.hOpen ↗
tm

A Mayo Clinic study has shown that 50 percent of a group of
elderly patients with mild cognitive impairment who also
have a significantly smaller hippocampus portion of the
brain are likely to develop Alzheimer's disease as compared
to nine percent of patients with a normal size hippocampus

defeatdiabetes.orgmarOpen ↗
ch2003.htm

Sustained High Blood Sugar Levels May Damage Brain's Key
Memory Center
(03/10/03) An inability to quickly bring down high levels of
sugar in the blood is associated with poor memory
and may help explain some of the memory loss that
occurs as we age, according to a new study. The
Study raises the possibility that exercise and
weight loss, which help control blood sugar
levels, may be able to reverse some of the memory
loss that accompanies aging. The study is the
first to show an association between the size of
the hippocampus, a key brain structure for
learning and memory, and the ability to control
blood sugar levels in the body, according to the
researchers.

diabetes.about.comblnmemory03.htmOpen ↗

"For every person with Alzheimer's disease, there are some 8
people with memory problems sufficient to affect the quality
of their lives who don't go on to develop dementia," says
Dr. Convit. "Our work seeks to understand what other medical
factors influence memory in aging." In fact, says Dr.
Convit, there are now more than 20 reports in the medical
literature demonstrating that diabetics experience memory
and learning problems that cannot be explained away by the
presence of other conditions such as cardiovascular disease,
which are often associated with diabetes. Diabetics have
very high levels of glucose in the blood because the sugar
cannot enter their tissues, where it is broken down to do
useful work.

*********

TC

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